Introduction
Leaky Gut
Symptoms of leaky gut
Conditions
associated with leaky gut
Testing For leaky Gut
The Inflamed Gut
Low Stomach Acid
Poor Pancreatic Function
Gut Dysbiosis
Small Bowel Overgrowth
Gut Motility Issues
Yeast
Gluten
Food Sensitivities
Fructose
|
|
Introduction The
gut lining
(epithelium) has to cope with a daily onslaught of a wide variety of
foods, toxins, bacteria, viruses and yeasts. All parts of the
digestive tract need to work in harmony to ensure our health is
maintained. It needs to maintain the ability to breakdown the foods that
we consume (or some of the rubbish we call food) via a complex system of
acids, enzymes, other digestive juices, and normal comensal gut flora. In the process it absorbs what nutrients it needs for the body
to function, blocks the absorption of unwanted nutrients and toxins and
protects the body from potential pathogens. When the gastrointestinal
digestive processes are put under stress by a combination of, poor nutrition, food sensitivities,
drugs, toxins, emotional stress, genetic predisposition, etc., physical
and mental symptoms develop, which are often not considered to be a
direct result of poor gastrointestinal function. Leaky
Gut Leaky gut
or intestinal
permeability, are
terms often mentioned by natural healthcare professionals and is slowly
being embraced by orthodox medicine. The lining of the gut is only one
cell layer thick and can be easily damaged. the cells that make up this
lining live only for three days and they have extremely high metabolic
activity along with intense nutritional demands. Leaky gut refers to how larger
molecules can bypass the protective layer of the gut epithelium (lining)
and enter the blood. The cells of the gut epithelium are joined together
by tight
junctions, so that there are no gaps between the intestinal
cells lining the gut, and nutrients have to go through the epithelial cells to be
absorbed. In this way the gut is able to strictly regulate what
substances enter the body. 
When
these tight junctions are weakened the normal regulation of substances
through the intestinal wall is compromised, allowing unwanted or poorly
digested food
proteins and other substances into the blood and ultimately to the rest
of the body where they can interfere with many of the body's metabolic
processes. The
lining of the gut wall is often subjected to a wide variety of insults such as:
These
stressors cause irritation and inflammation in the
gut lining, leading to increased permeability of the gut wall over time. An
inflamed gut is more permeable to partially digested food and bacterial
fragments e.g. lipid polysaccharides from bacterial breakdown, partially
digested food products and other endotoxins. The increase in
permeability results in an inflammatory cascade in various tissues as
well as increasing the toxic insult to the liver. Depending on the
individual and their ability to detoxify these leaky gut metabolites, a
number of symptoms can arise, from neurological, endocrine and metabolic
e.g. mood changes, memory lapses, irritable bowel, cancer, loss of
energy, reduced immune response, arthritis, malnutrition, bloating, etc. In
addition to their absorptive and barrier functions, epithelial cells
also function as an extension of the immune system.
They secrete secretory IgA
(sIgA)
the most abundant
immunoglobulin in the gut and the main immune mechanism preventing
bacterial adherence
to the intestinal mucosa.
sIgA attaches to bacteria in the intestinal lumen, hindering its
attachment to the gut wall. A
decrease in sIgA causes increased bacterial adherence and increased
intestinal permeability. Symptoms
Of Intestinal Permeability
-
abdominal
pain
-
chronic
joint pain
-
chronic
muscle pain
-
asthma
-
fuzzy
or foggy thinking
-
confusion, poor concentration
-
flatulence,
indigestion
-
mood
swings, nervousness, anxiety
-
poor
immunity, recurrent vaginal infections
-
bloating,
diarrhoea or constipation
-
poor
memory
-
aggressive
behaviour
-
fatigue
Leaky
Gut is Associated With the Following Conditions
Testing
For Leaky Gut Testing
for leaky gut can be arranged or done by All Natural Advantage. The
options available include: Indican
Test: this
requires a FIRST morning urine specimen and tests for the presence of
indol which is converted to indican and reflects bacterial activity in
the small and large intestines. A positive test is indicative of
bacterial dysbiosis in the gut and correlates well as a marker for leaky
gut. Intestinal
Permeability Test: a
more precise and non-invasive method for testing the integrity of the
gastrointestinal lining. The test requires ingestion of two sugars,
lactulose and mannitol, and 24 hour collection of urine by a pathology
laboratory. This test is able to measure the degree of intestinal
permeability and malabsorption within the gut. Secretory
IgA Test: sIgA requires
a morning saliva specimen collection. sIgA has been shown to reduce
gut permeability, improve mucosal immunity and protect the gut against
pathogenic invasion. Combining the sIgA test with an Intestinal
Permeability test provides comprehensive information on the mucosal
integrity of the gut. Testing
for leaky gut can be arranged by All Natural
Advantage, please feel free
to email me for more
details. The
Inflamed Gut  
The
above are microscopic examples of normal gastrointestinal villi (small
fingerlike projections that protrude into the gut), and an inflamed gut
intestinal epithelium where the lining has obviously broken down and
there is obvious loss of the villi. Inflammation can occur anywhere
along the gastrointestinal tract, in the more severe cases like celiac
disease or colitis, physical symptoms, like pain or bloody stools, are
very obvious signs of an underlying disease process. More
commonly there is low grade inflammation within the gut is caused by
food allergies, stress, infections, toxins, alcohol, poor diet,
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and other drugs. The damage
caused, especially to the villi, has serious consequences. The cells in
the top portion of the villi produce enzymes (like dipeptidyl-peptidase
IV that breaks down the protein in gluten) and are responsible for
absorption of nutrients. Once the intestinal villi are damaged, these is
loss of available enzymes, absorption of nutrients is no longer possible
(or severely limited), larger protein molecules and toxins are able to
enter the blood stream, as are bacteria. This sets up a cycle of ongoing
intestinal damage and inflammation. Ultimately,
depending on where or how extensive the inflammation in the intestinal
tract is, a wide range of vague and seemingly unrelated
gastrointestinal, neurological, immune or musculoskeletal symptoms may
be experienced. These symptoms are often treated with orthodox drugs, or
natural supplements, however unless the underlying cause is addressed
long term there is the serious risk of more serious diseases.
|
